It is known to provide rollover protection systems, having a rollover element, like a rollover bar, in convertible vehicles, to create a survival space for occupants in the event of vehicle rollover, which is allocated to an individual vehicle seat or several vehicle seats and is concealed in its rest position in a cassette attached to the vehicle, from which it can be moved abruptly to an upper support position on recognition of a vehicle accident and can be locked in this support position.
Rollover bars generally used in practice typically consist of a U-shaped bar, whose tubular arms are guided vertically in vertical tubes of a module fastened to the vehicle. In the interior of each arm, a coil spring is arranged, which is biased by a holding device, which can be released as a function of an accident signal of the vehicle sensor mechanism, so that the rollover bar is deployed under the influence of the spring in tenths of a second and locked in its support position by an appropriate locking device. The two tubular arms are then joined by a cross-yoke, over which a cushioned impact element is generally pushed.
A problem in such rollover bars that span the entire width of the vehicle with guiding of their arms in the corresponding vehicle seat is that a so-called drawer effect is often observed, which is understood to mean tilting or jamming of the rollover bar during its activation, as a result of manufacturing tolerances or lack of synchronization of the drives acting on the arms of the bar.
DE 103 18 594 A1 describes a further developed rollover protection device for a vehicle with a rollover bar, formed in a generally U-shaped configuration with a cross-yoke and lateral arms spanning essentially the vehicle width. To avoid tilting of the rollover bar during its transfer from a lowered rest position to an upper support position along fixed guide devices, a central holding and release device for the rollover bar that is controlled by an actuator, and a device that synchronizes displacement of the arms along the guide devices are provided. Additionally, a pass-through opening is provided between the legs of the rollover bar.
DE 198 38 989 C1 is referred to as an example of a rollover protection device allocated to only one vehicle seat, with a rollover element that can be deployed independently of a rollover element allocated to another vehicle seat. In it, a rollover protection device allocated to one vehicle seat is disclosed, consisting of a cassette fastened to the vehicle, a rollover element in the form of a profile bar element extending over the entire width of the cassette, secured and guided in guides and deployable in the cassette, a locking device for self-locking the deployment movement, a spring drive system for deploying the profile bar element, and a mechanical holding device for holding the rollover element in a rest state against the bias force of a compression spring of the spring drive system.
An embodiment of a rollover protection device, advantageous with respect to manufacture, with a vehicle transverse wall as a prefabricated standard element, which is arranged on mounts attached to the body behind vehicle seats, is described, for example, in DE 196 42 821 A1 and EP 1 084 914 A2.
This type of prefabricated partition can be equipped, according to DE 10 2004 016 362 A1, with additional units. Thus it is proposed, rather than mounting a safety belt system directly to a vehicle, to mount the safety belt system on the prefabricated partition, according to DE 93 04 820 U1.
Although the last-named solutions provide a simplification of assembly, different modular units, like a transverse stiffening structure, optionally with a pass-through opening in combination with a rollover protection system, a convertible top and possibly body parts connected to the convertible top mechanism, and a seat installation must be incorporated into the vehicle during final assembly.
These modular units are often delivered parts, which must be joined in time-intensive fashion during final assembly, so that the through-put of vehicles in final assembly is adversely affected.
It is also a shortcoming that functional testing of safety-relevant components of the modular unit is often possible only in the vehicle.
The task of the present invention is to devise a modular unit for a convertible vehicle of the type just mentioned, with which the through-put in the final assembly of convertible vehicles can be increased when there are a number of components of different functionality, and with which functional testing of the safety-relevant components can be facilitated.